England or Italy ?: The European Championship final and a bit of politics

Before the final, Dietrich Schulze-Marmeling asks himself the following questions: Who is now more nationalistic? The Italians or the English? Which team shouldn’t win for political reasons alone?

The sympathies in my circle of friends and acquaintances seem to lie more with the Italians. From some people I hear: “We are for the Italians because they play better football and the English fans lack” English fairness “. I go with them when it comes to” better football “.

But: German fans have also whistled at the national anthems of other teams. Well, we are only complaining about the loss of “English fairness”. Which means something like “We have to expect better behavior from the English than from us Germans! Because fairness is part of the English DNA!” After all, Neil Diamond’s new hit from English fans is “Sweet Caroline”. What is more peaceful than this “Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves”. And also better than blunt “Victory! Victory!” – Stakkatos.

The questionable penalty that Harry Kane converted to the winning goal in the margin is also interpreted as a loss of “English fairness”. However, Germany owes two World Cup titles to questionable 911s. In 1974 a wooden leg swallow compensated against better Dutchmen. 1990 is a little closer to the European Championship semi-finals between England and Denmark. Völler fell when he had to fall. But the German victory was deserved.

“Unfair” Englishmen

The aversion to the British probably also has something to do with Brexit and Boris Johnson. But in this team, which consists of a good 50 percent of players whose ancestors come from former British colonies, there is no Brexit and no Boris Johnson. Even if Johnson and the right-wing, nationalist boulevard try to politically exploit an English victory.

David Conn writes in the Guardian that “this group of players who continue to get on their knees and use their enormous influence to fight racism and social injustice” refused to accept Johnson’s script. Her trainer, Gareth Southgate, was “thoughtful, genuinely attention to detail”, was “a worthy leader”, “a contrast to Johnson’s bombast and ruthlessness in dealing with the truth”. Southgate thought ahead and wrote his own script to make sure that he and his team would not be politically instrumentalized. There are reports that Southgate’s script threw Johnson’s strategists off course. Southgate made it impossible for them to use the team’s progress during the tournament as fuel for their divisive agenda.

In 2018, Southgate criticized Brexit – especially the racist tones of the “Leave” campaign. The Three Lions took a stand not only against racism and poverty, but also against homophobia. Harry Kane wore the rainbow armband as captain.

The Italians and their anthem

Now for the Italians. The fervor with which the players sing a hymn in which they die for Italy is somewhat irritating. Isn’t this hymn fascist? Especially since a right-wing national to right-wing extremist party in Italy has named itself after her, the Fratelli d’Italia (FdI), which is led by the 44-year-old Giorgia Meloni. In the March 2018 elections, the party only received 4.3 percent of the vote. “According to recent polls, the proportion of voters is now twenty percent and the FdI is almost on a par with the Partito Democratico (PD) and just ahead of Matteo Salvini’s right-wing populist Lega. Together with Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, the right-wing bloc would get half of the votes,” writes Italy -Expert Jens Renner in the Swiss “WOZ”.

In an interview, Renner says that the players are not automatically fans of the fascists now, but one cannot completely ignore the fact that a party operates under the name of the anthem. Right-wing populists have always tried to be close to the Squadra Azzurra or pursued a political instrumentalization of football. Just think of Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, which was inspired by a battle cry from the fans of the national team. When it cheered on the footballers, it automatically chanted the name of the party.

However, the matter with the hymn is more complicated: The hymn Fratelli d’Italia was written by Goffredo Mameli in the autumn of 1847 and premiered on December 10, 1847 in Genoa in front of about 30,000 people. It was the anthem of the freedom fighters of the Risorgimento. In 1932 the official performance of Fratelli d’Italia was banned by the fascists. This is how the anthem became a symbol of opposition and resistance to fascism.

I also spoke about the anthem to a good Italian friend who is on the Italian left. He pointed out that other hymns from this period were no less nationalistic and bellicose. And anyway: the Marseillaise … The fact that rights seize its title cannot be prevented.

The Squadra Azzurra and the “non-Italians”

In 2015, coach Roberto Mancini expressed the opinion: “The Italian national team has to be Italian. I think that an Italian player deserves to play in the national team, while someone who was not born in Italy, even if he has Italian relatives, deserves it not deserved.” Even the fascists were more relaxed about it – at least initially. The fact that Italy became world champion in 1934 was due not least to Argentine help and a clear violation of the tournament regulations. In 1926, professional football was legalized in Italy. At the same time, the obligation of foreign players was banned. Austrian and Hungarian legionaries now had to leave the country.

The loss was offset by a first wave of intercontinental player transfers. The top Italian clubs looked around South America for descendants of Italian emigrants. Because they could claim the Italian citizenship, which was also willingly granted them by the fascist authorities. Especially when it came to footballers. The legionaries were considered repatriated. For national coach Vittorio Pozzo, the “sons of Italian parents who happened to emigrate to South America remained Italians.”

The first of the so-called Oriundi in Italian football was the Argentine Julio Libonatti, whose family came from Genoa and was brought to AC Turin in 1925. After the Olympic football tournament in 1928 with the final Uruguay against Argentina, local rivals Juventus in Argentina also made use of them. In 1929, FIAT and Juve boss Umberto Agnelli lured Raimundo Orsi to Turin. In 1931 “Juve” also took Orsi’s compatriot Luis Monti under his wing. AS Roma signed a complete trio in 1933 with Enrique Guaita, Alejandro Scopelli and Andrea Stagnaro.

Of the three “ex-Argentines” who helped Italy win the World Cup, only Raimundo Orsi was eligible to play in the tournament. Because according to the World Cup regulations, a player who changed nationality had to live and work in his new country for at least three years before he was allowed to play for it. That was not the case with Monti and Guaita. The latter had played for Argentina on February 5, 1933.

FIFA ignored the apparent violation. The links between the FIFA Organizing Committee and the Mussolini fascists were too close. In addition, the host promised to cover all outstanding debts in the event of a financial debacle.

In the second half of the 1930s, the number of Oriundi decreased significantly. The reasons were the legalization of professional football in Argentina and the political climate in Italy. The Oriundi were increasingly discredited because their patriotism and “Italianism” were questioned. In the summer of 1935, Guiata was drafted into the military and feared a combat mission in the Italian-Ethiopian war and initially fled with the two other Roma-Oriundi to France and from there returned to Argentina. There he put on the Albiceleste jersey again in 1937. Raimundo Orsi also withdrew from military service and fled to South America, where he still played for Peñarol Montevideo and Flamengo Rio de Janeiro. The flight of the four players turned into a national scandal, the fascist regime insulted them as cowards, thieves and smugglers. When Italy won the World Cup again in 1938, there was only one South American, Uruguayan Andreolo.

Where does the Squadra Azzura stand politically?

Back to Roberto Mancini: He sacrificed his questionable view for success. Three players in his squad are of Brazilian origin. One of them is the famous Jorginho, who “keeps the whole team ticking; and scored the last penalty against the Spaniards. My Italian friend credits Mancini with the fact that – unlike his predecessors – he takes players from the south into account.

The English national team was the first in Europe to practice the kneeling protest against racism. Some of her fans whistled her for it. Boris Johnson refused to criticize the racist fans. No, this man really has nothing to do with this team. Only a few players took part in the Italians. At least parts of the cadre take a clear stand against racism. Above all, Captain Giorgio Chiellini.

Last question to my Italian friend: “Where can we now classify the team politically?” He first pointed out that there would be a – by Italian standards – high number of academically oriented players. Chiellini, for example, obtained a master’s degree in business administration in 2017 (by the way, title of the thesis: “The Business Model of Juventus Football Club in an International Context”). Leonardo Spinazzola has a degree in political science and international relations. Federico Chiesa first attended the international school in Florence and then an international high school, where classes were held exclusively in English and with classmates from all over the world. Matteo Pessina was fluent in Latin and studied economics, etc.

Okay, but WHERE is it now politically? Answer: “There are no rights like Buffon in this team. Most of the players are more center-left.” What does that mean for the final? I don’t know either! Ask Olaf Thon or Lothar Matthäus! Or, even better, Andy Möller: England or Italy? Mainly Spain …